The Lâm Viên Plateau (also called Đà Lạt Plateau, Lang Biang Plateau) is a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

in southeastern

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. At its centre is the city of

Da Lat Da Lat, or Dalat (; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mos ...

. Several mountains in this area rise to over , the highest being ( Ede: ; ) at . Tat-tan-tat-kinh-nghiem-du-lich-da-lat-checkin-o-dau-an-gi-202206031411593741

Geography

The plateau is at the southern end of the

Annamite Range The Annamite Range (; ) is a major mountain range of Mainland Southeast Asia, extending approximately through Laos, Vietnam, and a small area in northeast Cambodia. Geography The highest points of the Annamite Range are the -high Phou Bia, th ...

. It covers parts of Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa,

Lam Dong Lam or LAM may refer to: Organizations * Laguna Art Museum, California, US * Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M), Chicago, US * Lam Eng Rubber, a Malaysian manufacturer * Lam Research, American semiconductor equipment company * LAM Mozambique Ai ...

, and Ninh Thuan provinces.Luu HT, Hsieh C-L, Chuang C-R, Chen C- W, Tran NT, Vu NL, et al. (2023) Langbiangia, a new genus of Gesneriaceae endemic to Langbiang Plateau, southern Vietnam and a taxonomic endeavor to achieve key targets of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. PLoS ONE 18(5): e0284650. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0284650

Climate

Đà Lạt Plateau is known for its mild and constant temperatures, which vary very slightly throughout the year. The average temperature in April, the warmest month, is 26.3 °C. January, the coldest month, sees an average temperature of 10.5 °C. October is the wettest month of the year.

Ecology

Pine trees in Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park

The natural vegetation of the plateau is montane rain forest, part of the

Southern Annamites montane rain forests The Southern Annamites montane rain forests ecoregion (WWF ID: IM0152) covers a region of high biodiversity in the central and southern mountains of the Annamite Range in Vietnam. Terrain ranges from wet lowland forest to evergreen hardwood an ...

ecoregion.Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.'' Island Press;

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. Plant communities include mid-elevation broadleaf evergreen forest, broadleaf-coniferous mixed forest, high-elevation dwarf forest, mossy forest, bamboo, and savanna. A total of 1,940 plant species belonging to 825 genera and 180 families have been recorded in Langbiang Biosphere Reserve, along with 89 species of mammals, 247 species of birds, 46 species of reptiles, 46 species of amphibians, 30 species of fish, and 335 species of insects. It is home to the endemic plant genus ''

Langbiangia ''Langbiangia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It includes three species endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, coun ...

'' (3 species) and the endemic bamboo '' Schizostachyum langbianense''.

Birds

The plateau has been designated as an

Endemic Bird Area An Endemic Bird Area (EBA) is an area of land identified by BirdLife International as being important for habitat-based bird conservation because it contains the habitats of restricted-range bird species (''see below for definition''), which are th ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

. The plateau comprises a multitude of habitats for birds. Restricted-range species such as the

Vietnamese crested argus The Vietnamese crested argus (''Rheinardia ocellata'') is a large and spectacular peafowl-like species of bird in the pheasant family with dark-brown-spotted black and buff plumage, a heavy pink bill, brown irises and blue skin around the eyes. ...

(''Rheinardia ocellata''), short-tailed scimitar babbler (''Jabouilleia danjoui''), black-hooded laughingthrush (''Garrulax milleti''), white-cheeked laughingthrush (''Garrulax vassali''), collared laughingthrush (''Garrulax yersini''), grey-crowned crocias (''crocias langbianis'') and yellow-billed nuthatch (''Sitta solangiae'') inhabit the tropical montane broadleaf evergreen forest, the notable exception being the

Vietnamese greenfinch The Vietnamese greenfinch (''Chloris monguilloti'') is a small passerine bird in the family Fringillidae. It is found only in Đà Lạt Plateau of southern Vietnam. Its natural habitat is open montane pine forest and scrubland. It is threatened ...

(''Carduelis monguilloti''), which prefers pine forest. The varying elevations in the plateau also form a congenial environment for birds that are suited to low elevation (up to 1,650 m) such as the black-hooded laughingthrush and the grey-crowned crocias, which rarely ventures above 1,450 m, while the collared laughingthrush often inhabits the higher peaks of the region, reaching above 1,500 m.

Mammals

The

Bidoup Núi Bà National Park Bidoup Nui Ba National Park (Vietnamese language: Vườn quốc gia Bidoup Núi Bà ) is a national park in districts of Đam Rông and Lạc Dương, in the province of Lâm Đồng, Vietnam. The Bidoup Nui Ba national Park was established ...

, which is located in the northeastern section of the Đà Lạt Plateau, contains a significant number of mammalian species, totaling some 36 species of small mammals. Some of the notable creatures in this total include

treeshrew The treeshrews (also called tree shrews or banxrings) are small mammals native to the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. They make up the entire order Scandentia (from Latin ''scandere'', "to climb"), which split into two families: the ...

s (Tupaiidae), roundleaf bats (Hipposideridae),

horseshoe bat Horseshoe bats are bats in the family Rhinolophidae. In addition to the single living genus, ''Rhinolophus'', which has about 106 species, the extinct genus '' Palaeonycteris'' has been recognized. Horseshoe bats are closely related to the Ol ...

s (Rhinolophidae),

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

s (Sciuridae),

bamboo rat The bamboo rats are four species of rodents of the subfamily Rhizomyinae. They are the sole living representatives of the tribe Rhizomyini. These species are found in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia. The species are: *The Chinese bamb ...

s (Spalacidae) and

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

s (Hystricidae). Large mammals include the

Indochinese tiger The Indochinese tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Southeast Asia. This population occurs in Myanmar and Thailand. In 2011, the population was thought to comprise 342 individuals, including 85 in ...

(''Panthera tigris tigris''),

sun bear The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a bear species in the Family (biology), family Ursidae found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'' and the smallest bear species, standing nearly ...

(''Helarctos malayanus''),

clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through Northeast India and Bhutan to mainland Southeast Asia into South China. It w ...

(''Neofelis nebulosa''),

black-shanked douc The black-shanked douc (''Pygathrix nigripes'') is an endangered species of douc found mostly in the forests of Eastern Cambodia, with some smaller populations in Southern Vietnam. The region they are mostly found in is called the Annamite Range, ...

(''Pygathrix nigripes''),

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ) is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 ...

(''Bos gaurus''), yellow-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus gabriellae''), and Annamese langur (''Trachypithecus margarita'').

Conservation

Protected areas on the plateau include Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park (575.12 km²), Phuoc Binh National Park (196.84 km²), Rung Thong Da Lat Cultural and Historical Site (233.92 km²), and Deo Ngoau Muc Nature Reserve (20.0 km²).UNEP-WCMC (2024)
Protected Area Profile for Viet Nam
from the World Database on Protected Areas. Retrieved 11 August 2024. In 2015 a portion of the plateau centered on Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park was designated the Langbiang Biosphere Reserve by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Man and the Biosphere Programme Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...

.Langbiang
Man and the Biosphere Programme, UNESCO. Retrieved 11 August 2024.

References

Landforms of Vietnam Plateaus of Asia Landforms of Lâm Đồng province {{Vietnam-geo-stub